Building energy businesses: Knowledge sharing workshop with business incubators & entrepreneurs from Asia & Africa Village Energy Limited Kampala, Uganda Village Energy Limited provides low-cost, convenient solar energy system maintenance, repairs and replacement parts which can be delivered in 48 hours or less. Starting in 2010 assembling and distributing solar systems to off-grid households, small businesses and institutions, Village Energy realized that the lack of after-sales services for solar energy systems was the biggest barrier to scaling, and shifted its focus at the end of Village Energy recruits and trains community-based electricians to become solar technicians selling, distributing, installing and repairing solar energy systems in communities they serve. A heavy emphasis is placed on post-sales customer care to prevent customers from reverting back to the use of dangerous and inefficient energy systems if a solar system breaks. Since starting operations, Village Energy has reached a combined total of over 4,000 households, small business and institutions with their services, earning over $240,000 in revenue. Abu Musuuza, CEO I am the co-founder of Village Energy. My role is mainly strategic, defining the strategic direction of the company and finding the resources necessary for the organization to achieve our strategic objectives. This includes sourcing financial resources and the right human resources as well as external partnerships aligned to our strategic goals. I am also the custodian of organization policy.

Energy Access We provide low cost after sales services to owners of solar systems. Our work is out of the realization of both, the critical lack of aftersales services and the vital roles such services play in growing the solar industry. We provide services to community based institutions that rely on solar systems to run their businesses and rural based households. We also provide solar solutions designed to directly address critical development challenges in off-grid remote locations such as access to education, health and financial inclusiveness. We deliver our services in partnership with a network of rural based phone and radio repairmen (aged below 30 years) that we re-train to also provide solar aftersales services. Our work therefore is facilitating the penetration of solar systems to remote areas where they are most needed, facilitating the delivery of critical products and services where they previously have not reached and creating new vocations for youth in rural off-grid locations. Best practices in decentralised renewable energy access: sharing knowledge for renewable energy enterprise development

Entrepreneurship/Enterprise Development Please explain your institution’s work on entrepreneurship / enterprise development (eg. financing, business incubation, technology development, etc): 1.We design solar solutions that target micro entrepreneurs in rural areas and at the same time advance access to finance in rural off-grid locations. We have provided solar solutions for micro businesses, from small shops to medium sized private clinics. We are also initiating solar solutions for savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOS) to enable them utilize IT tools that improve their business transactions. 2.We recruit and train rural based micro entrepreneurs (phone and radio repairmen) with new skills and provide new tools to play the role of after sales service providers in hard to reach locations. Best practices in decentralised renewable energy access: sharing knowledge for renewable energy enterprise development

Planned activities Please outline some of the planned activities of your organization for 2014/2015: 1.Access to Health: Installation of solar systems on rural based health centers to improve maternity health services in rural Uganda. 2.Access to Finance: Pilot project to install solar systems on 20 SACCOS acquiring computers and management software to deliver better financial services to their members. 3.Village Technician Program: recruit and train 100 phone and radio repairmen (youth aged 30 and below) in solar aftersales services. We will create a network of solar aftersales service points in rural Uganda. 4.Service and maintenance program for rural based institutions Best practices in decentralised renewable energy access: sharing knowledge for renewable energy enterprise development